dryopithecine
[ drahy-oh-pith-uh-seen, -sahyn, -puh-thee-sin, -sahyn ]
/ ˌdraɪ oʊˈpɪθ əˌsin, -ˌsaɪn, -pəˈθi sɪn, -saɪn /
noun
(sometimes initial capital letter)
an extinct ape of the genus Dryopithecus, known from Old World Miocene fossils.
adjective
of or relating to this ape.
Origin of dryopithecine
First recorded in 1945–50;
Dryopithec(us) +
-ine1
Words nearby dryopithecine
drying-out,
dryland,
dryland farming,
dryly,
dryomorph,
dryopithecine,
dryopithecus,
dryout,
drypoint,
drysalter,
drysdale
British Dictionary definitions for dryopithecine
dryopithecine
/ (ˌdraɪəʊˈpɪθəˌsiːn) /
noun
any extinct Old World ape of the genus Dryopithecus, common in Miocene and Pliocene times: thought to be the ancestors of modern apes
Word Origin for dryopithecine
C20: from New Latin
Dryopithēcus, from Greek
drus tree +
pithēkos ape
Scientific definitions for dryopithecine
dryopithecine
[ drī′ō-pĭth′ĭ-sēn′ ]
An extinct ape of the genus Dryopithecus, known from fossil remains of the Miocene and Pliocene Epochs in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is believed to be an ancestor of the anthropoid apes and humans.